232 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



from French stock. The species has only occurrerl, in a 

 natural stale, in one locality in Britain, Yaxley Fen.] 



Mr. Bates, having referred to a discussion which had taken 

 place at a previous Meeting respecting mimetic resemblances, 

 introduced Mr. T. Belt. As lo the aversion of insectivorous 

 birds to the Heliconiidae, Mr. Belt gave a detailed narrative 

 of his observations on this subject, and slated that not only 

 were the perfect insects of Heliconia protected by their un- 

 pleasant odour, but that the larvae also were rejected by 

 fowls. 



Mr. Slainton remarked that a curious instance of the dis- 

 like which birds seemed to have for certain insects had come 

 under his observation some years previously. When he was 

 attracting moths by light, he had often such numerous attend- 

 ances that he had frequently captured fifty Noctuse, or more, 

 in a quarter of an hour; whatever came must be caught, or 

 it was in the way ; and, in order to ascertain most readily 

 whether there was anything of value, Mr. Stainton adopted 

 the plan of smothering the whole lot with the fumes of sul- 

 phur. When the operation had been performed, more than 

 nine-tenths of the dead insects would probably be Agrotis 

 exclamationis. He thus had a vast store of useless dead 

 moths, which he disposed of by giving them to the poultry, 

 the young turkeys particularly enjoying them in spite of their 

 flavour of sulphur. On one occasion, amongst a number of 

 A. exclamationis, there was one specimen of Spilosoma Men- 

 thastri, and though not one of the young turkeys rejected a 

 single A. exclamationis, they each in succession took up the 

 S. Menlhastri and put it down again, and it was left, con- 

 spicuous as it was, on the ground. This insect, it was well 

 known, had a peculiarly disagreeable odour. 



Mr. Weir had frequently noticed that caged birds refused 

 the larva? both of Spilosoma Menlhastri and !S. lubricipcda. 



Mr. Westwood said that a fluid of a very disagreeable 

 odour was emitted by those insects from behind ihe collar ; 

 this was probably similar to that ejected by man}' of the 

 Chrysomelida3. lie inquired whether anything of the kind 

 had been observed in the Ileliconiidaj. 



Mr. Bates said that one group of Heliconiidae was fur- 

 nished at the apex of the abdomen with a process from which. 



